Loading apparatus



` Oct. 4, `1938.A n D. QTURNBULL Y i 21317g771,

LOADING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 28, 1936 s sheets-sheet s Fifi N K l 70 797g .f 9Z 71 f ATTORNEY Patented ct. 4,1938 Y UNlTED STATES PATENTo'l-*Flcls LOADING APPARATUS Davia c. Turnbull, Mlhawaka, Ina., signor uThe American Foundry EquipmentV Company, Mishawaka, Ind., a corporationof Delaware Application November 28, 1936, Serial No. 113,093 13c1aims.(Cl. 214-120) now commonly 'cleaned by tumbling the same in a` tumblingmill within a stream of abrasive projected at blasting velocities. 'Phetumbling m chamber of such mills is generally positioned some distanceabove the floor of the shop, and where large cleaning capacity isdesired, considerable time and labor can' be' saved in the pro` visionof a' mechanical loader for loading and filling the tumbling chamberwith the desired charge or quantity of the castings or other material tobe cleaned. Floor space in shops and foundries where castings, forgingsand the like are tobe cleaned, is voften at apremium and 20 the loadingapparatus should therefore be so constructed as to occupy a minimum offloor space and at the same time permit quick mechanical loading of thecastings into the tumbling chamber and in such a manner as to place thecastings gently rwithin the tumbling. chamber Room should also beprovided for a suitable conveyor into whichthe castingsand forgings maybe` discharged from the tumbling mill 'when cleaned and thereafterconveyed to other parts of the shop where other operations'necessary toproduce the finished product may be performed thereon. I An object ofthis invention is lto provide an improved loader whereby metalliccastings, forgings and the like may be quickly, economically andefliciently deposited in the mill within which they are to be cleaned. 4Another object of` this invention is to provide 4o' apparatus adapted tobe associated with a mill y for cleaning metallic castingsforgings andthe whereby the -articles to be cleaned can be effi- `cieritly,economically and quicklydeposited within 45 the mill andimprovedconveying mechanism into which the cleaned articles can bequickly, economically'and efliciently discharged and conveyed away. y Afurther object of this-invention is to provide 50 an, improved loadingmechanism adapted to re- ('eive` and gently discharge into a tumblingmill .the desired charge of metallic larticles to be automatically,which occupies a minimum of floor 55 space, which may beeconomicallymade to conwithout serious.` jars to the tumbling apparatus;

Vlike which includes improved loading mechanismcleaned, which device canbe operated entirely tain any desired quantity of the articles to becleaned, and which is strong and sturdy in construction and lasting inuse. Various other features and advantages of the invention will beapparent from the following 5 particular description and from aninspection of the accompanying drawings.

Although the novel features which are believed to be characteristic ofthis invention will be particularly pointed out in the claims appendedhereto, the invention itself, as to its objects and advantages, and themanner in which it may be carried out, may be better understood byreferring to the following description taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings forming a part thereof, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of my improved 'loader shown inassociation with a tumblingmili for cleaning metal castings', forgingsand the like, this view showing the bucket in position to be filled:

Fig. 2 is a 'front elevational view of my improved loader shown in Fig.1;

Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical cross-sectional view through the loadershowing the bucket inposition to dump or discharge the castings,forgings or the like into the tumbling mill, this view being taken online 3-3 of Fig. 2; 4'

Fig. 4is atop plan view of the loader showing particularly the drivingmechanism and control 3o devices therefor; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view ofthe stop switch which haltsthe motor at the respective dumping and loading positions ofthe bucket.

Similar reference characters refer to similar 5.

parts throughout the several views ,of the drawings and specification.

In .accordance with this invention,k a tumbling mill I is providedwithin which castings, forgingsand the like metallic articles may becleaned by tumbling the same within and through a stream of abrasiveparticles projected at blasting velocales. The tumbling mill l,illustrated 1n .tne/ drawings,- has associated therewith a horizontallymountedroller 2 which supports a wide'belt 3 45 upon which the castingsor other articles cfto be cleaned are positioned. .The abrasive-throwing 1 device, such as an abrasive throwing wheel w. containedwithin a casing I, is positioned at the top of the mill cabinet and soarrangedas -to project the abrasive downwardly at blasting ve- 1locitiesagainst the article c supported on the belt 3 as the belt movesin a counter-clockwise rdirection around the roll 2, as viewed in Fig.1.

v The cabinet is closed by a suitabledoor 5 which 55 is pivotallyconnected to one leg of a pair of elbow-shaped members 'l by means ofpins ,or a rod 8 pivotally connected to the frame members 6 of the door.The other end of the elbow-shaped members 1 is suitably pivotallyconnected to the casing 4 or other fixed part of the cabinet, as bymeans of hinge pins 9. Both members 'l are provided with an arm portionI0 to which is connected a suitable cable Il. The door 5 may be swungfrom the closed position, shown in Fig. 1, to the open position, shownin Fig. 3, and back into closed position by manipulating the cables Il.A suitable winch which may be operated either by a crank arm or byelectrical motor, is provided to open and close the door. A suitableapron or blanket I2 formed from rubber or -rubber fabric materiaL'may besecured to an .angleshaped member |3 fixed to the lower edge of the door5, the blanket I2 sealing the opening and preventing the escape ofabrasive and other particles through the opening. The blanket l2 may beprovided with a suitable handle or handles |4 to lift the same when thedoor is to be opened. A

' suitable hook I5 may be provided on the door 5 upon which the handle|4 is supported when the door is to be opened, as shown moreparticularly in Fig. 3.

It is understood that my improved loading apparatus about to bedescribed may be associated with various different types of tumblingmills and tumbling barrels and is not limited solely to the type oftumbling mill as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawings, which isshown for purposes of illustration only. It is also understood that thedoor for closing the opening in the ,tumbling mill or tumbling barrelmay be of various different forms best suited to the mill or tumblingbarrel with which itis associated; and it will, therefore, be furtherunderstood that the door and its associated operating mechanism shown inFigs. 1 and 3,v is presented for illustration only.

My improved loader is preferably supported by a pair of standards oruprights 20, which rest upon the floor |00 upon which the tumbling millor barrel I is supported. The spaced standards 20 support a table 2| atthe top thereof upon which the driving mechanism, hereinafter described,may be supported. r'he table 2| may be reinforced by a frameworkcomprising the bars or angle irons 23 extending'along thefront and rearedge of the table platform 2|, and bars or angle irons 24 extendingtransversely along the side edges of the table 2|. The transverse bars24 rest upon and are supported by a longitudinally extending member 25,the ends of which are fixed 'to vthe spaced standards 20. Theconstruction may be further strengthened by the provision of gussetplates 22, one of which is secured to each of the transverse bars u andthe adjacent standard 20. Cross-bracing 2'I secured to the-longitudinally extending member 25 and the standards 20 may also beprovided to Jfurther strengthen the construction.

floor or runway |0I is preferably provided at approximately the level ofthe top edge Aoi' the front wall 3| of the bucket to facilitate loading.The rear wall 32 of the bucket is preferably of considerable height soas to retain the castings there in and conduct them into the mill whenthe vbucket is raised to the position shown in Fig. 3.

'Ihe side walls 33 of the bucket are so shaped as not to interfere withnormal operation. The bottom wall 34 of the bucket is sturdilyconstructed to adequately support heavy material such as metal castingsand forgings to be cleaned. If desired, the front lower edge of thebucket may be provided with a beveled wall 35 to facilitate dumping ofthe articles into the cleaning mill when the same is raised to thedumping position shown in Fig. 3. rI'he bucket is preferably constructedfrom heavy sheet steel suitably Vreinforced and strengthened towithstand the abuse which it receives in operation.

'I'he bucket seats against or is supported by a tilting rack whichcomprises a pair of channelshaped members 5I each provided with a topiiange 52 and a bottom flange 53. The rack members 5I may be connectedadjacent the upper end thereof by a structural strut 5|a. The rack isconstructed to seat between the standards 20 and is pivotally mounted tothe'standards 20 by means of a horizontal shaft 54 which is mounted torotate in suitable journals 55 carried by the respec-r tive standards20. A pair of block members 56 through which the shaft 54 extends aresuitably bolted or otherwise secured to the flange 53 of thechannel-shaped members 5| of the rack. The upper portion of the channelmembers 5| are curved rearwardly as shown in Figs. l and 3, tofacilitate tilting of the rack. Apair of chains 5l, which limit thetilting movement of the rack 50, is connected to the channel members 5|at the upper end thereof through a suitable link connection 58 pivotallysecured to the channel member by a suitable hinge pin 60. The other endof the chains 51 is provided with a suitable link 59 connected to astrut 26 extending and secured to each of the standards `20 and thetumbling mill l.

The link 59 is pivotally connected to the strut 26 as by a hinge pin6|.'a TheA pair of chains 51 are of such length as tol limit the forwardtilting the flanges 52 and 53 vthereof andV which thus serve as a trackfor the rollers. Each of therollers 36 is rotatably mounted on asuitable, stub vshaft 31 xed to the bucket adjacent the rear wall 32thereof by suitable brackets 30. 'Ihe bucket otherwise seats between andis generally free of the rack 50. l

'I'he bucket is raised into dumping position and flowered into loadingposition by means of a pair of cables 40, one end of which issecured toa bracket 4 I fixed to the upper end of the bucket adjacent the rearwall thereof. A suitable link 43 attached to the end of each cable ispivotally conn'ected to the bracket 4| by means of a' suitable hinge pin42. Each of the cables 40 extends around a pair of guide'sheaves-M and45 adjacent the bottom wall 34 of the bucket. To strengthen theconstruction, each pair of sheaves 44 and 45 is rotatably supportedyupon a stub 'shaft' 4'I xed to an angle iron bracket 46 suitablysecured as by bolts or welding to the adjacent side wall 33 or bottom:wall 34 of the bucket. The guide sheaves 44 `anci 45 are preferablypositioned between the side walls 33 and the angle iron bracket l46,thus protecting them from possible injury or damage during operation. lv

or reel 18 supported upon the platform 2|. The

winding drums 18 may be fixed to a common shaft 1| lwhich rotatesinsuitable bearings 12 positioned at each end thereof. The bearings 12 lmay be supportedby suitable brackets 13 xed to the platform 2|. Theshaft 1| may be driven in minal,.95, again establishing a circuit to theconeither a clockwise orv counter-clockwise direction by means of asuitable reversible motor 16 supported upon the platform 2|. Moreparticularly, the motor 15 may be connected, as by means of a drivebelt16, to reducing gears 11. The reducing gears 11 voperate to drive asprocket wheel 18 which is connected. as-by means of a drive chain 19 toa sprocket wheel 88 xed to the shaft 1|. r

The loading apparatus may be automatically operated from a push buttonswitch box 85 con- 4 venlently mounted upon one of the standards 28.

The switch box 85 is electrically connected by a conduit 61 to a powerbox 86 housing certain safety devices, and switch devices. 88 extendsfrom the power box 86 to the motor 15.

A suitable `device is provided for. throwing a switch in the power box86 to h'alt the motor when .the bucket 38 h as been elevated into itsproper dumping position as shown in Fig. 3, or when lowered into itsproper loading position as shown in Fig. 1. Such device lmay beconstructed in numerous ways within -the purview of thoseskilled in theart. For purposes of illustration only, I have shown a rider arm 98kwhich .is mounted upon a suitable pivot pin 9|. 'The upper or head end92 of the rider arm 98 is held, as by a suitable spring 93, in constantriding engagement withl the cable 48 being wound upon one of the windingdrumsF or reels 18. A two-way switch comprising the switch arm 89 may beelectrically connected to and operated by the rider arm 98. Electricconductors 96 and4 91 are connectedl to the switch` terminals 94 and 95and a conductor 98 is electrically connected directly to the rider arm98. When the rider arm 98 has been moved into either loading orunloading position, electrical contact ismade which operates to energizeswitch arm attracting elements 89a or 89h re` spectively, which drawsthe switch arm 89into electrical contact with switch terminal 94 or'switch terminal 95, in a manner well known 'in the art. The conductors96,91 and 98 lead to the'power box 86 and operate to 'throw avswitch'therein and. halt the motor when the rider arm 98 throws the switch arm89 so that it electrically contacts either the terminals 94 or95.

It will be noted that when the bucket 38 is in the dumping positionshown in Fig.. 3, the cables 48 have become wound upon the winding drumsor reels 18 suiliciently to have moved the rider arm 98 to a point whereit operates to move the switch arm 89 into electricalV contact with theterminal 94 thereby closing the electrical 'circuit to the conductors 96and 98 which operate to sthxrowthe switch within the power box 86 'andhalt the motor. When'the push-button switch 85 is again operated tothrow the motor in reverse,

the winding drum or reel will unwind,V permitting the bottoni en d ofvthe bucket to lower until it is seated upon the floor |88. At thispoint the cable 48 on the winding 'drum has been moved to the pointwhere the rider arm 98 swings the switch arm 89 so that it electricallycontactsthe ter- `ductors 91and 98 which operates to throw the A powerline y Castings, forglngs andy other articles to be cleaned can beeasily rolled vor dropped into the loading bucket 38 from the raised oor|8|, when the bucket is in the position shown in Fig. 1.

The articles -c ,to be cleaned may be brought to and dischargedinto thebucket mechanically by means of a suitable belt conveyor or dumpingcart, or the bucket may be loaded by hand. The bucket should be ofsuillcient size to hold a full vcharge of castings.' the amount of thecharge depending upon lthe size' and capacity of the tumbling mill I.Generally, several cubic feet of castings can be cleaned in a singlecharge. After the proper charge has been placed"in the bucket,

the hand switch 86a is thrown, which starts the motor 1.5 and causes thecables 48 to be wound up 'upon the winding `drums or` reels 18. Sincethe opposite ends of the cables are secured and extend-` around guidesheaves 44 and 45 adjacent the bottom end of the bucket, it willbe-noted that when the winding drums 18 are operated to wind lupper endthereof. The bottom end of the bucket- ,continues its upward travel asthe cables 48 wind upon the drums 18.l When the upper end of the bucketreaches the upper end, of the channel members 5|. the rollers '36 strikeagainst a projectionJ 62 provided at the upper end of each of thechannel members 5|, which projection halts further rolling movement ofthe rollers 36. When ,this point in the upward travel of the bucket is,the cables 48 thereon, the bucket will initially be l reached, theupper end of the bucket will extend into the 4loading opening of thetumbling barrel or milll, the door 5 of the tumbling mill having rstbeen Iraised or opened to permit dumping of the castings into the mil.`Castings orarticles c to be cleaned are then free to slide down alongthe back wall 33 of the bucket 38 and gently roll onto the tumbling belt3 or upon the iloor of the tumbling barrel. 'I'he bottom end of thebucket continues to be raised until such pointas al1 of the articlescvhave been discharged into the tumbling mill or tumbling barrel, atwhich point the rider arm 98will swing theswitch arm 89 so as to`establish an electrical circuit in the conductors 96 and 98 which throwsthe switch in the power box 86 and halts .the motor `15.

,When the charge has been depositedwithin the tumbling mill, thefhandswitch 86a is operated to ldrive the motor in the opposite direction.permitting the winding drums 10 to gradually unwind the' cables 48`topermit lowering of the bucket. The rollers 36'will then roll dcwnthedoor 5 of the tumbling mill can then be brought into closed position byunwinding the cables attached to the elbow-members 1 thereof. lThe lIi()handle I4 of the curtain or apron I2 is then lifted oi'f from itssupporting hook I5 and brought down to completely enclose the tumblingchamber within the tumbling mill, preventing the escape of abrasivegorother material. When the charge within the tumbling mill has beenAsuillciently cleaned and treated, the apron I2 is lifted and the door,5 opened. Inthe tumbling mill illustrated, the roller 2 can be rotatedin a clock-dial direction so as to carry out the clean castings and dumpthem into a'suitable receptacle or conveyor supported upon the floor|00.

As shown more particularly in Figs. 1 to 3, the clean castings may betransported from the tumbling mill I by means of a cart having acontainer body I Iii which extends substantially up to the dischargepoint of the belt 3. The container H0 may be suitably supported uponaxles IIIv having wheels II2 rotatably mounted thereon, which roll oversuitable tracks Ill supported upon the floor |00. The container may beprovided with a flange Ill at the upper end thereof adjacent thetumbling mill, which may be hinged to the adjacent wall of the containerby means of suitable hinges IIS. The free edge of the ange Ill-may restagainst the belt 3 and assist in removing the castings therefrom whichinsures 4 that all the castings will be placed within the may, ifdesired, be provided to convey away the castings from the tumbling mill.v

My improved device provides a convenient means for quickly loading -a-tumbling mill or tumbling barrel with castings, forgings or otherarticles to be cleaned. The loader may be operated automatically, andthrown into and out of operation by the simple expedient of turning aswitch or operating a push-button. The loader is so designed as tooccupy a minimum of floor space so that it can be conveniently used inplants where floor space is at a premium. The loader is sturdilyconstructed and simple in de sign, so that it can be inexpensivelyproduced. A small amount of power only is required to operate same dueto the action of the tilting rack 50. Ample space is provided for asuitable unloading conveyor lbetween the loader and the tumbling mill.The loading apparatus is sturdy in construction and substantiallyfoolproof in operation. The loader may be built in any capacity desiredand may be associated with any type of tumbling mill or tumbling barrel,and is especially advantageous where large quantities of castings,forgings andl the likey are to be cleaned and treated daily. Whilecertain novel features of the invention have been disclosed and arepointed out in the annexed claims, it will be understood that vvariousomissions, substitutions and changes may be made by those skilled in theart without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is: 1. A machine for loading castings, forgings and thelike into a cleaning mill which includes, an upright supporting frame, adump bucket, a rack supporting said bucket, means pivotally mountingsaid rack at a point intermediate V:the ends thereof to said frame, andmeans for manipulating said bucket into dumping and loading posi.

tions, said means including a winch supported on said frame.4 guidesheaves attached to said bucket adjacent the lower end thereof, a exiblemember operatively connected to .said -winch and trained around saidguide sheaves, a motor for driving said winch, and means for halting thewinding movement of said winch when said bucket has been raised intodumping position.

2. Loading apparatus including, a supporting frame including spaceduprights, a rack including spaced channel-shaped rack members having theflanges thereof extending inwardly, said rack members being pivotallymounted intermediate the ends thereof to said uprights, guide meansconnected to said bucket adjacent the upper end thereof, said guidemeans being movable along but retained between the channel flanges ofsaid rack members, said bucket being free to pivot about said guidemeans, mechanism for applying a lifting force to said bucket adjacentthe lower rack to permit tilting movement thereof, a dumpbucket, saidbucket having a bottom wall, side Walls and a relatively high rear wall,cooperating guide means associated with said bucket and said rackmember, and means for applying a lifting force to the lower end of saidbucket to move said bucket along said 'rack member until the rack hasassumed a tilted position and thereafter to lift the lower end of saidbucket away from said rack to a point where the .articles containedinsaid bucket will slide out of the bucket alongI the rear wall thereof.k

4. Apparatus for loading castings, forgings and the like into a cleaningmill having a loading opening spaced from the floor upon which said millis supported, a loading apparatus including supporting uprights spacedfrom said loading opening, a dump bucket, a rack supporting said bucket,means pivotally connecting saidrack to said uprights at a pointintermediate the ends of said rack so that the upper end of said rackwhen tilted will be in a position adjacent said loading opening, andhoisting means for applying a lifting force to the lower end of saidbucket to move said bucket along said rack until said rack is tilted toa point where the upper end of the rack is positioned adjacent saidloading opening and thereafter to lift the lower end of said bucket awayfrom said rack to empty the bucket into members, tilting said rackmembers, and further lifting one end of said bucket away from said rackmembers to bring the'bucket into position to discharge the contents.

6. Apparatus for loading castings, forgings and the like into a cleaningmill having a loading opening positioned above the floor upon which themill 'is supported, said apparatus including uprights spaced from saidloading opening, a loading bucket, a rack'supportingsaid loading bucket,said rack being pivoted to said uprights intermediate the ends thereofso that the upper end of said rack when tilted ywill be positionedadjacent said loading opening, and hoisting means operative to move saidbucket along said rack and tilt said rack thereby to place the dischargeend of said bucket supported on said rack Y in discharge positionrelative to said loading opening,` and thereafter to lift the lower endof said bucket away from said rack to a point where the articlescontained in said bucket will slide'out of said bucket.

7. Loading apparatus including, spaced uprights, a loading bucket, andmechanism for manipulating. said bucket into dumping and into loadingposition, said mechanism including, a rack member pivotally mountedintermediate the ends thereof to said spaced uprights to permit tiltingmovement of said rack, guide means associated With upper end of saidbucket to guide the upper end of the bucket along said rack, a guidelsheave associated with the lower end of said lower end of said bucketoff said rack to emptythe contents from the bucket.

8. A machine for loading castings, forgings and.

the like into a cleaning mill having a loading l opening spaced from themill-supporting iioor including, a dump bucket having a relatively loWfront Wall and a relatively high rear wall, and mechanical means forlifting said bucket bodily to place the top edge of said,rear Walladjacent the loading opening of said mill and thereafter to raise thebottom end of said bucket into an elevated position whereby the articlescontained in said bucket Will slide into the mill along the rear wallthereof, said mechanical means includi ing a rack member, a supportpivotally mounting said rackl intermediate the ends thereof to permittilting of the rack to a point Where the upper end of the rack ispositioned adjacent said opening, and means associated with said bucketfor applying a lifting force thereto and cause said `rack to assume atilted position whereby the cent rack member, means for applying alifting force to the bottom end of said bucket whereby to lift saidbucket a predetermined distance whilesaid rack member remains relativelystationary and thereafter upon further upward advance tol pivot saidrack members and lift the lower end of said bucket away from said rackmembers'to position said bucket so that the article contained thereinwill slide out of the bucket along the rear wall thereof.`

10. Loading apparatus including, a supporting frame, a loading buckethaving a bottom wall,

7 side walls, a rear. wall and an open top, a rack member pivotall-ymounted on said frame, means associated with the upper end of saidbucket and said rack causing the upper end of said bucket to move alongsaid rack, and means for lifting and tilting said bucket so as to bringthe open discharge end thereof into a predetermined dumping position andto elevate'the bottom end of said bucket to cause the'contents thereinto slide out of said bucket along the rear Wall thereof, said meansincluding a pair of iiexible members, guide means attached to saidbucket around which said flexible members are trained, and a Windingdevice operatively connected to said flexible mem- .bers for applying alifting force to said bucket.

1l. Loading apparatus including, spaced uprights, a loading buckethaving a bottom Wall and enclosing side Walls, a rack member pivotallymounted on said uprights, means for retaining the upper end of saidbucket-in movable association with said rack, a cable secured relativeto the lupper end of said bucket, a sheave attached to the lower end ofsaidgbucket over which said cable is trained, and a Winding deviceoperative to wind and unwind said cable thereby to pivot said rackmember and bring said bucket into loading and into unloading position.

12. A machine for loading castings, forgings and the like into acleaning mill having a loading opening including, a dump bucket having.a bottom Wall,sidev Walls and a relatively high rear wall, a pair ofspacedv `supporting members, a bucket-supporting rack pivotally vmountedbetween said supportingmembers, Iguide rollers adjacent the upper end ofsaid bucket and movable therewith, said guide rollers being movablealong the adjacent rack members, a supporting platform adjacent theupper end of said supporting members, a driving motor supported on saidplatform, a pair of Winding Winches supported on said platform, meansoperatively connecting said driving motor to said Winding Winches, aflexible Winding cable associated With each of said Winding Winches, andguide sheaves operatively connecting said cables in spaced relationshipto said bucket, said Winding Winches being operative vupon energizationof the motor to raise and lower said bucket to and from said loadingopening by means of 'said cables.

13. A machine for loading castings, forgings and the like into acleaning mill having a loading opening spaced from the mill-supportingfloor including, spaced uprights, a pairvof spaced rack memberspositioned between said uprights, a shaft pivotally mounting said rackmembers to said uprights at a point intermediate the ends of said rackmembers, a loading bucket movable along said rack member, said buckethaving a shaft xed thereto adjacent the upper'end thereof, a roller oneach end of said shaft movable along the adjacent rack member, a sheavefixed to each side of said bucket adjacent the lower end thereof, aexible cable trained around each of said sheaves, means for securing oneend of each of said cables, and a Winding winch associated with each ofsaid cables to lift said bucket bodily along said rack members andthereafter to tilt said rack members and raise the bottom end of saidbucket. into an elevated position whereby the articles contained in saidbucket Will slide into the loading opening in said mill.

' DAVID C. TURNBULL.

